UFC light-heavyweight fighter Anthony Johnson has called out Ryan Bader over the comments he made on Sunday, where he claimed he was the No. 1 contender to Daniel Cormier's division crown and that any chatter of a fight between him and Rumble was nothing but media speculation.
In an interview with Submission Radio (h/t MMA Mania's Jesse Holland), Bader suggested the UFC should let him have a crack at Cormier. He went on to dismiss Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson as opponents for the current champion, saying the two had their shot and it's his turn to enter the Octagon with Cormier.
Johnson read those comments and took to Facebook to address them, and he didn't hold back one bit:
Just read that Ryan Bader said he's the number one contender. Well, imo, he isn't by any means. How can a true athlete feel that he/she is the next best in line for a title shot when they haven't fought anybody in the top 3 of rankings?
Have some pride! Don't run or hide...
Let's fight to see who's the real number one contender.
I WANT TO FIGHT YOU RYAN BADER! I respect you and your abilities, but LET'S FIGHT AND SEE WHO'S THE REAL NUMBER ONE CONTENDER!
Are you up for the challenge? I'll be waiting, Sir...
Bader made a statement with a big win over Rashad Evans at UFC 192, winning by unanimous decision on the undercard of Cormier's title-defence against Gustafsson. The win marked Darth's fifth in a row, with his last loss coming against Glover Teixeira back in 2013.
While the five-fight win streak is impressive, Baders' resume isn't. Evans is still fighting his way back into the picture after consecutive losses against Jon Jones and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and he's the biggest scalp Bader has taken so far.
From that perspective, Johnson's Facebook post makes sense. Bader may need a marquee win to set up a title shot against Cormier, and Rumble would provide the perfect opportunity.
The Toronto Star's Adam Martin agrees:
Then again, the champion himself doesn't. Per UFC Tonight (h/t Damon Martin of Fox Sports), Cormier believes Bader has earned a shot at the title, making it sound like he'd gladly fight him if a rematch with Jones can't be made:
(Bader) has by far earned a title shot, but with that being said, if Jones is ready to go, I'm ready to go. This is the fight I want to be involved in, this is the fight the fans want to see and this is the biggest fight the UFC could put together.
Jon and I did big business in January and I believe we'd do even bigger business whenever we do fight again.
There's no denying Bader is right when he says both Johnson and Gustafsson had their shot at Cormier. The former scored a knockdown during the first round before the eventual champion took control of the fight, while the latter pushed Cormier to the very limit, opening the door for a rematch.
Bader's fate will likely depend on Jones, who avoided a jail sentence for the incident that saw him stripped of his light-heavyweight title belt in April, via Fox Sports' Damon Martin.
If the UFC allows him to return to the Octagon in 2016, a rematch with Cormier makes too much sense not to happen, both from a financial and sportive perspective.
Should the two rivals meet again, Bader's best option would be a bout with someone like Johnson, with the winner of that fight likely to meet the winner of Jones vs. Cormier.
If Jones doesn't return, however, the road to Cormier may be wide open for Darth.
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